I AM CHRIS FARLEY – The Review

Directed by Brent Dodge, Eric Murray, written by Steve Burgess

With Chris Farley (archive footage), Dan Aykroyd, Christina Applegate, Bob Odenkirk, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Kevin P Farley, Tom Farley, Bo Derek, many others.

In the world of comedy certain talents stand out as heavyweights, both literally and figuratively. Large of both frame and talent very often these talented performers can seem more like a force of nature running amok in the mundane world, creating comedic chaos for our amusement.

The first that comes to my mind would have to be Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, his name forever tarnished with a scandalous incident that was proved in court never to have happened, Fatty Arbuckle deserves better. He was genuinely talented, a series of dvd releases proves it. He taught Buster Keaton everything he knew. He was also incredibly funny.

I would also add the name of Curly Howard of the Three Stooges, Jackie Gleason, Lou Costello, John Belushi of Saturday Night Live and John Candy of Second City TV. And now we are lucky to have Melissa McCarthy. All of them incredibly talented, funny and larger than life. Comedy heavyweights, if you will.

But one name has always stood out, even in this elite crowd. Chris Farley injected new blood into Saturday Night Live and made the show worth watching again. He was incredibly, sometimes painfully funny and he also brought a serious, dangerous edge to a lot of his performances. Chris Farley was a force to be reckoned with, he often seemed on the verge of a complete meltdown, as if he would burn up in the atmosphere he was living in, and possibly take us all with him. Chris Farley could actually seem scary, dangerous, off the chain, off the map and out of the box nuts. And that my friends was his particular genius.

Compare Chris Farley with another comedy heavyweight like John Candy.  Candy always came across as what he was, a big, jolly, sensitive cuddly pooh bear of a comic who wouldn’t hurt a fly.  Uncle Buck runs like a German sports car because of Candy’s talent and his inherent goodness.  What child wouldn’t want to have Uncle Buck in the family?

I say all this as an introduction to I AM CHRIS FARLEY, a wonderful documentary about an extraordinary talent who brought laughter to so many people.  And how nice it is to find out that Farley, as well, was sensitive, intelligent and, yes, would not hurt a fly.

The makers of I AM CHRIS FARLEY had what appears to be all access, full cooperation from Chris Farley’s family.  We hear first from his brother Kevin P Farley, who also does standup, and riffs on his resemblance to the late comic.  Virtually every family member is heard from and many actors and comics who worked with Chris Farley, and they all say the same things.  Naturally funny, always the center of attention, and so much talent that some actors were probably jealous.

We see Chris Farley almost from day one. Family photos, home movies, even tape recorded performances give us a glimpse of a young talent just waiting for the right moment to take center stage.

Chris Farley paid his dues, as so many talented comics did, with Second City of Chicago.  Del Close, in archive footage admits they had struck pure gold when Farley came on board.  His time with Saturday Night Live yielded some of his best work.  I will never forget the first time I saw Matt Foley, the motivational speaker, who has been drinking coffee down the basement all day and lives in a van down by the river, eating a steady diet of government cheese!  I start laughing just to think of it.  Christina Applegate was the host on that show and in that sketch and tells of her absolute horror as Farley started to destroy the props on the stage.  Her alarm was captured on the live television cameras, is absolutely real and only adds to the surreal quality of that sketch.

And again, that was Farley’s genius, many times he appeared just a heartbeat away from going berserk and running amok in NBC’s studio, destroying property, assaulting audience members and possibly landing in an institution.

Add to that his famous try at being a Chippendale’s dancer, showing his pudge to millions of television viewers next to Patrick Swayze.  Then there was his own show, especially his interview with Paul McCartney. “You remember the Beatles?  You were in that right?”  And then there was Bennett Brauer constantly using air quotes for every sentence.  Farley was the go to guy to portray almost any celebrity, apparently without offending.  Tom Arnold appreciated his impersonation so much he gave the eulogy at Chris Farley’s funeral.

Farley and Adam Sandler were, apparently such a handful on Saturday Night Live they were fired from the show.  They constantly pulled pranks and behaved, pretty much, like college frat boys.  After getting his walking papers from Saturday Night Live Farley made several films and then started having drug and alcohol problems.  Eventually, like so many talented artists, those problems got the better of him.

How sweet to hear that he was loved and loved in return by the people who he worked with in live comedy, television and movies.  David Spade was probably his best friend and recalls many fond memories.  Somewhat astonishing but we also learn that Farley was a chick magnet without even trying.  Women were drawn to him not just for the humor but his intelligence, his loyalty and his uncommon decency.  Here was a super star who never acted the prima donna, even though he earned the privilege.  Here was a major talent who never traveled with an entourage, always made time for his fans and was very accessible when out in public.  He was always pleased to be recognized and thrilled if people told him they liked his work.

Most importantly, like any good documentary about a comedian I AM CHRIS FARLEY is very, very funny.  The many clips from television and movies tell the truth about this man, impossible not to laugh all the way through. In fact, the best tribute I can think of comes from one of his appearances on David Letterman’s show. He had Letterman, and the studio audience, in hysterics.

But like many talented artists Chris Farley had his own demons that he tried his best to deal with.  In the end they got the better of him, but we are all better for having seen him, in any medium, possibly one of the funniest human beings who ever lived.

I AM CHRIS FARLEY is a terrific tribute to a comic talent who deserves to be remembered for the joy and laughter he brought to all of us.

I AM CHRIS FARLEY opens in NY on July 31 at AMC Empire
VOD on August 11.

Images Courtesy of Virgil Films.